I have to share an experience I had this past week while attending the
Cotton Bowl in Dallas.  Although the outcome of the game was less than
pleasing, it was an enjoyable time.  We were at a piano bar in the West
End section.  They had two old grand pianos with shiny new keys which
sounded great.  The entertainers worked in pairs, one at each piano.
They played everything from the 1950's to the 1980's, from rock to
country, and took countless requests to the delight of the crowd.  They
had so many requests for the  K-State fight song, which they did not
know, that they finally took the music off the Internet to play for the
fans.

The only thing that bothered me was the condition of the cases of these
pianos.  They were quite distressed and battered.  One of the cases had
an area on top that was missing several layers of veneer and appeared
to be gouged out.  I soon found out why -- when the second pair of
entertainers came on stage, the first pair lingered until the opening
song was over.  A member of the first pair started banging a tambourine
on the gouged out area of the piano.  He wasn't just tapping it, he was
_pounding_ with force.  Ouch!!!

I then noticed that this same piano was fastened to the stage floor with
an L-shaped brace.  The brace was probably a necessity due to their
emphatic playing style, even going so far as to use feet rather than
hands on Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire."  If you were wondering
how that used piano you purchased got into such sad condition, now you
know!  I could hear the restorers on the MMD mailing list crying loudly
over the beating these pianos took!

Aside from the abuse the pianos endured, the entertainment was great!!
-- And the audience was enthusiastic!   If you are ever in Dallas,
be sure to visit Alley Cats located in Dallas Alley, in the West End
section of downtown.

Happy New Year,

Joyce Brite